Embracing The Change Within
by myheartwanders
Summary: Sookie has had a lot going on in her life, with the Fairy War being the last straw. She decides that its time for a change, time for her to change if she is going to survive. Cannon up and slightly past the Fairy War, after that its AU. Enjoy. DISCONTINUED
1. Chapter 1

**This is my very first ever fan fic. This story also has not beta… So If anyone actually reads this know that I greatly appreciate it, and would love to hear what your thoughts are! Just please be kind and constructive, I'm a newbie after all :) As the summary said I wanted to see were the story would go if Sookie stopped making the same mistakes over and over and over. CH portrays here as an intelligent yet stubborn woman, and things should have definitely gone a bit different in my very humble opinion. In this fic Claudine did pass away, but Tray was just incredibly wounded. Im going to try and have this story follow were the previous books have brought it to, but after that it will be AU with OOC for several of the characters. No copyright infringement is intended… I'm just putting my daydreams into words. Enjoy.**

It had been two weeks since the fairy war. I don't think that I ever realized what good friends I really had until now. Between Sam, Jason, Amelia during the day and Eric and Pam at night it seemed as though someone was always checking on me. But there were many times that I was still left alone to think on things. Everyone had mentioned that I was lucky to have survived. Me lucky? Yea right, is that what my life has been? Was losing Claudine and her baby worth my life? Or Tray and Bill's injuries? I sure didn't think so, and it ate me up that I was here and Claudine and her baby were gone. My greatest hope was that everyone would forgive me, given enough time.

It was the early morning, and as I cast out my mental net I could sense that Amelia was still asleep. She had been so great as a friend and roommate. She was working herself to the bone between helping with both me and Tray's recovery and helping Sam cover shifts. But Amelia never complained, I had read in her mind on more than one occasion that she was just happy we both made it out alive; she didn't know what she would do if she lost either of us, she loved us both. I hated to eaves drop on her, but it was hard to keep my shields up, I found I just didn't have the energy. With all that Amelia had done for me I decided the least I could do was cook her breakfast. So I slowly made it through my morning routine, taking care of my human needs, and made my way to the kitchen.

I found that the peace and quiet in my head and the task of cooking breakfast let my mind wander. That's how I ended up thinking about everything that had happened. How do you survive the aftermath? I had been through many things in my short life. I had been attacked, beat, stabbed, raped, blown up, not even mentioning the wars and takeovers I had been in; and now tortured within an inch of my sanity. I had wished for death. Wished for it to all end, and it didn't. I grew up with little family, so many lost to tragedy, that when my great-grandfather Nial entered my life I was overjoyed, even if he was a Fae Prince. But looking back, maybe I should have been more cautious? Asked more questions? If I had only knew then what I know now.

Although I was told I never really understood how important Nial was and is to the fae people. I was just happy to have more family. I didn't understand the implications of him being a price or the warnings about his enemies. Why would I be in danger just because I had a little fae blood? I was still human! But Brendan the Price of the Water Fae was my great-grandfathers greatest enemy, and my biggest threat. If I would have accepted Eric's proposal to stay with him maybe I would have been protect, and maybe the torture could have been avoided. Maybe Claudine would have died. There were so many maybe's. I thought that I knew better than those who had lived for 3x's my age, because it was my life and I knew what I needed. I knew better that those who understood the risks, the implications, and the politics. I was too stubborn, was to prideful.

Eric. Eric was a whole other issue. Where was Eric? In the depths of my pain and agony I cried out for him; but he never came. Did I push him away to far this time that he wouldn't come help me… or was it that he couldn't? There are so many questions, too many questions, and we still hadn't discussed everything that had happened. Somewhere deep down I knew that it wasn't that he wouldn't come, but that he couldn't come to my rescue. I know because I can see it in his eyes and feel it in the bond. He has been her for me at least every other night, and when he doesn't come he sends Pam. He makes sure that everything is taken care of; including the numerous bills there must be just from Dr. Ludwig's weekly visits, even when I protested. Eric had also been giving me his blood so I could heal quicker, and would rub his blood on the wounds that were the deepest. But even with Eric's care, it's still taken me time to heal. Time to think. Time to dwell.

It's kind of funny how things can go from chaotic to boring so quickly. Just like the pack war, and the witch war, the fairy war had come and gone and once again we had won. We hadn't lost too many friends or allies, although some were injured. I must be living my life wrong for these things to keep happening. Wait. As I lay there my brain really started working, and that's without my coffee! Could it be as simple as that? Although I hated to admit it, maybe how I was living and thinking and behaving were the problem. Maybe I would have to change so that I could protect myself and the ones I love… and change soon before my luck finally runs out.

I really needed to talk to someone about all these things, and as 'luck' would have Amelia was walking into the kitchen. I was so enveloped in my own mind that she actually scared me when she said good morning.

"You must be thinking on something hard if you didn't even hear me coming down the stairs. You okay?" One thing that I love about Amelia is that she always said what she was thinking and her mind was broadcasting worry about me being so preoccupied so I pulled up my shields as best as I could.

"I'm actually doing well today. In fact I am cooking us breakfast. It's the least I could do for all you've done. Plus I was hoping that I could talk some things over with you."

"Sure Sookie, you know you can talk to me about anything." So we sat down and ate breakfast while I told her everything I had been thinking. Amelia was attentive while she listened and ate. She would ask questions here and there for clarification on some of the topics, and give advice on others. She was such a loud broadcaster and my shields were so weak that I could help but hear how glad she was that I was growing up and accepting life as it was and that I was finally getting my head out of the clouds.

"I didn't mean to have my head in the clouds Amelia, everything is just so foreign to who and what I've always been. It's not how I grew up." Amelia face feel. "Oh Sookie, that's not what I meant. I was just thinking that I'm glad that you are finally willing to accept who you are, and what your place in the supernatural world is. You have always accepted people for WHO they are, and not judged on WHAT they are, but that's because you didn't know anything about the supernatural world and structure. That's a big step. And everything you've been brought up to believe in, how you believe everything should be is not how things are. Your way of thinking is human thinking, 'head in the clouds' thinking."

She was right. And I knew it. it was just hard to let go of everything my gran had taught me. She was my rock. Some people thought WWJD? (What would Jesus do?) and all I could think was WWGD? (What would gran do?). Amelia stopped and thought for a moment before she continued "You think the people around you are always high handed when all these situations come up. But that's because you don't understand everything involved. You draw supernatural's to you like you draw danger. You get them to work together like nothing I have seen. Maybe that's a gift. But imagine if you could do that and understand the culture? You would be able to assist with making the decision because you would understand what was actually going on from a supernatural's point of view, not human."

And everything Amelia said and her bluntness was why I loved her so much. "Thank you Amelia. Thank you for being such a good friend and being so honest." Amelia smiled, go up and came gave me a hug. "Any time girl you know that."

We sat there for another hour or so discussing all of the possibilities of what I was looking to do. She really helped me work through some of the kinks, and came up with some interesting things that may come from what I was looking to do. After ironing everything out we got up and embraced each other as friends and sisters when Amelia said "I'm going to clean up breakfast and then head over to Tray's. Ill pry end up staying the night, so don't count me in for dinner. With all you have going on I may be spending more time over there." I smiled with sadness and said "Tell Tray that I hope he is feeling better, and give him a hug for me." Amelia knew that smile of mine and said "Will do. You have a lot to get done today, so get going."

After my revelations from the morning I knew that Amelia was right and I had to get my but in gear. No more pitiful Sookie. I am a Stackhouse damn it, I better start acting like one. Many of the things that I wanted to do would have to wait until later, but I could start with what was in front of me. Maybe starting with making grans home, my home. Although my home had been in the family for over 150 years I had always considered it gran's home, even though after her death she had left it for me I had in the past found it difficult to change anything about it. I decided that if I was going to face life head on, that today I am would start to make it mine.

"Hey Amelia, I was wondering if I could run something by you before you leave." I looked over to her as she finished drying the last dish. "Sure, what's on the brain of yours?" Amelia always had a way of making me feel what I thought and felt held water. She never made me feel like a county cousin, no matter how differently we may have been raised. "What do you think about me maybe making some changes around the house? I have a little money saved up, so I was thinking about doing some updates, maybe do some painting, clearing out the attic… you know sprucing it up a bit?"

Amelia gave a small smile, and broadcast loudly how happy was for me to stop making this a tomb to my gran and start making it my home, but she said "I think that is a wonderful idea, and you could always keep some of your grans things around… you know so that she is still remembered." I knew that I could always count on Amelia to give me the truth, even when it touched on sore spots. "Thanks. I really like that idea." We finished up and the kitchen when Amelia said "Let me know how everything goes. I may be staying at Tray's but I'm only a phone call away." Amelia was really the best friend a girl could have. "I will, and thanks again for everything."

For so long I had taken after Scarlet with the whole "I can't think about that right now. If I do, I'll go crazy. I'll think about that tomorrow", that I had to prepare for the new Sookie. The Sookie who embraces who and what she is and faces life. And I am ready.

_I guess tomorrow finally became today._

**AN: If anyone has read this please know that I hoped you liked it. If there is some genuine interest I will post another chapter the following week. I'm new at this, so it will take me a little time to write the next chapter :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**First and foremost…. THANK YOU TO erin1705, slugggysmom, and S.K. Steven for your reviews! **

**This is my very first ever fan fic. This story also has no beta… So if you are reading know that I greatly appreciate it, and would love to hear what your thoughts are! Just please be kind and constructive, I'm a newbie after all :) As the summary said I wanted to see were the story would go if Sookie stopped making the same mistakes over and over and over. CH portrays her as an intelligent yet stubborn woman, and things should have definitely gone a bit different in my very humble opinion. In this fic Claudine did pass away, but Tray was just incredibly wounded. I'm going to try and have this story follow were the previous books have brought it to, but after that it will be AU with OOC for several of the characters. **

**I am going to try and keep Sookie 'Sookie', but where CH has her as a stubborn naïve sassy southern belle who gets caught up in the same ole thing, I see her as more of a sassy hellcat with southern sensibilities who learns from things. **

**No copyright infringement is intended, all credit to CH/Alan Ball… I'm just putting my daydreams into words. Enjoy and review :D**

Amelia had just said her goodbyes and was heading out to Tray's and said she would be back when and if I had a going away dinner. I felt bad for Tray. He had been hurt while protecting me and was still healing up. Even though Were's were know for the quick healing, it was still taking Tray extra time to be up and around, probably because he didn't have the benefit of 1000 year old vampire blood.

With Amelia gone for I decided that it was a perfect time to take my coffee and sit on the front porch. It was such a nice day to enjoy the warmth and sun that I could help myself. So I grabbed my coffee and a few magazines and headed outside. The sun was my only vice. The warmth on my skin always made me feel, well just more. Well I say that I only have one vice, but there may be one more in the guise of a vampire named Eric Northman. My heart felt a twinge after I thought of him. We really need to sit down and talk about everything. I knew that whatever kept him away was serious. He had always come to my rescue, he had always been my knight in shining armor, and I knew he always would be.

Amelia had come up with some good questions, especially when it came to Eric. I was finally able to admit to her that he was the ONE, and that I for sure wanted to be by his side for as long as he would have me. But Eric and I had always skirted around our feelings. Even though he had his memories back from the witch war and we had been 'together' and we had some kind or routine, but I wanted more. We both deserved more; it was just figuring a way for it all to work out. The plan Amelia and I came up with for my 'vacation' was brilliant, if I do say so myself, but it would require my fairy great-grandfather and his magic to make it all work. I knew that I had to tell Eric something, but maybe not _everything_.

To make some of the changes I knew I had to contact Niall, but I knew that I would also have to contact him if I was really going to find out about what I am as my oldest living relative, and a fairy relative at that. He had been by a few times since the war. His presence always made me feel a little bit better. He would let me know how things are progress, leaving out the dirty details. There was so much for him to do in the fae realm, but he somehow made time to stop by and spend a little time with me. Anyone who knew a lick about would know how important quality time is; it's what is most important to me. Not the riches, or position, or the power; just the feeling of being loved and spending time together.

On his last visit about a week ago Niall had taken the time to let me know that he would be closing the portals, but that he would be by well in advance so that we could say goodbye. His news took me by surprise. To say that I was confused and saddened would be an understatement. Was the torture from the twins all for nothing? Especially if he was going to exactly what Brendan wanted to do anyway… Niall had reassured me that he was protecting those like me from those like Breandan. I really appreciated it, even though we had never been real close the fairy war had brought us together, and I would be very upset if he had left and not said goodbye.

Niall had also hinted around that he had some other things that he wanted to discuss with me that it could wait another week, besides he was having the healers working on a special mixture full of fae magic and healing properties to help me heal more than I already had. Niall had said "Your Vikings blood has made a difference, but a fae remedy is what you truly need to help you heal more because your fairy." At the time I had dismissed his statement of being a fairy, but was thankful for the possibility for some extra healing. I had to shake myself out of those musing, as they were far too depressing for such a great morning in the sun. I knew my Niall regarded me as a fairy, even if I wasn't a full fairy so I was hoping that he would be willing to help with my 'vacation'.

I knew that I needed to make the call but I wasn't ready just yet, I was still enjoying the feeling of the morning air and the warmth from the sun. I wasn't really sure were the magazines came from, but they were exactly what I was looking for. The magazines I had to choose from were "Southern Living", "Real Simple", "Better Homes and Gardens", and "County Living". All of them were wonderful, and one of them had a full expose on Paula Dean's new Home Collection that had just been released, and I LOVED IT! It was perfect for how I had been daydreaming changing the house. Unfortunately, it was a bit out of my price change; I would have to start with some repairs and fresh coats of paint and then go from there.

As I finished my last cup of coffee I decided it was time to get a move on. So I ran, or well let's be honest, hobbled back inside to get me phone. I got my cell phone of the charger and dialed the answering service that my great-grandfather used. "Hi, this is Sookie. Could you please have Niall call me as soon as you can?" I asked the receptionist, "We will make sure he gets the message, is there anything else ma'am?" I really wanted to talk to him right away but I sweetly replied "That's all, thank you." Then the receptionist hung up. Supes and their manners.

So while I waited for my great-grandfather to call me back I decided to list all the things that I need and want to know, and came up with a plan on how to ask him, well I guess I will be telling him what I wanted. While I was at it I also made a separate list for what I needed to say to Eric. It was time that we discussed everything that has happened, and to let him know what my real feelings are and what I really want from him.

Last night Eric asked if we could do something special Friday night since it would make it a few days since I got my clearance from Dr. Ludwig. The doctor had said that as long as it was not strenuous or too active I could do it, but she recommended that I stay home and continue to rest and heal. Of course she recommended that Eric continue to give me his blood too, Eric just plastered on his signature smile while I huffed and rolled my eyes. I whole heartedly agreed to the outing, who wouldn't want to go out on a Friday night with a Viking God? Plus it would make it the perfect time to talk with him about what happened.

It wasn't long before my great-grandfather was calling me back. "Hello dear one, are you feeling any better?" Niall was always so proper, "Yes, great-grandfather, I am feeling much better and have been up and about since Dr. Ludwig gave me the okay, and how are things with you?" My fairy great-grandfather sounded happy to hear of the improvement "That's wonderful dear. Things are going as best that can be expected. What can I do for you dear?"

I knew that it wasn't the best to say what I had to say over the phone, so I decided to give him the option "Well great-grandfather I have decided to make some life changes and many of them concern you. Would you like to talk about them over the phone or could you 'pop' on over?" I could hear the smile in my grandfather voice when he asked "I can 'pop' over now if it is convenient, plus I have some things to go over with you too, I was going to wait until the closing of the portals was closer, but now is just as good a time as any." I couldn't help but giggle at his continuation of the pun and told him "that would be great, see you soon!" Minutes after hanging up he was here, and I couldn't help but think about his transportation and think to myself 'wouldn't it be nice'.

My great-grandfather came up and gave me a kiss on my forehead like he normally does, "it's so good to see you my dear, you are looking much better." I embraced my great-grandfather and started feeling better just being in his presence, he always seemed to lose some of the formality when it was just me and him "Before we get into that can I get you anything to drink?" My gran would kill me if I forgot my manners, even if I was embracing the new me. My great-grandfather graciously declined, so I welcomed him into the living room. "Well great-grandfather before we go into what you have for to talk about I wanted to go first if that's okay?" Nodding my great-grandfather said "Yes dear, that's fine." I was so nervous so I started with the basics. "I have come to some realizations that it's time for me to stop running and embrace who and what I am. I was hoping that you could help me with that." My great-grandfather who usually guarded his emotions well looked surprised and then pleased.

"Well my dear, what exactly can I help you with?" I was so nervous to bring this to him; it was all or nothing, so I went for it. "Well there is kind of a lot and I'm not sure what you can actual help me with so I'm just going to get it all out." I finally looked up into my great-grandfathers eyes and he nodded encouragingly. "So you know about everything that's happened to me in the past." He nodded. "And a lot of those things that happened where because I didn't have the knowledge or skill to deal with what was coming at me. So to embrace who and what I am I need to be fully trained. You always say I have the spark, so what does that even mean? I am part fairy, what do I have to do to claim my birth right? Will I hold any fairy magic or abilities? What our family history?"

Niall's face was in awe and he actually started to fidget so I figured it was time to sum it up. "So I guess the bottom line is I would like to be fully trained in the ways of the fae, claim my rights as a fae with the spark in the royal line well if I have any rights, learn the histories and protocols of the supernatural races, and be physically and mentally trained for whatever else may come my way. I know that you are planning on closing the portals and with Claudine gone I have no one to turn to." I had started out nervous but as I went on it felt right, I felt a strength that I never had before…. Maybe because I was standing up for myself? But my voice choked up a little when I mentioned Claudine, I missed her so, but I didn't let that detour me. Amelia had helped me prep this last bit of my speech. I was more than a little nervous about stating this so boldly, but Amelia assured me that it would work out great even if I felt a bit foolish saying it, so I continued on strong "I am officially asking as princess of the ruling house of fae that these things and more be fulfilled" with a smile a sass I added "and I don't want the run around."

I knew that I was asking a lot, but these were things I needed, a part of myself that had to be embraced if I am going to make it. Otherwise I am as good as dead. I patiently waited for my great-grandfather to absorb all that I had asked. "Well great-granddaughter I am not sure what brought on these changes but it makes me proud to call you kin. I have always considered you a fairy, and I'm glad that you are embracing what you are. You are asking for many things, some of which can be done, but only if you understand that once you start down this road there is no going back. And you must know that there while there always may be danger, that by embracing and accepting who you are meant to be could bring you more trouble and danger than you have already seen."

I eagerly looked at him and nodded my head "I understand. I have thought long and hard on these things since the war, and I know that I must do this if I am going to make it in this world. I never wanted to admit it or live like it, but I am a supernatural creature with telepathic abilities. Its time I embraced that and started living like one. I am starting off a little behind the curve, but that's what I need you for. Besides I am hoping that through all this I may gain some normalcy back into my life."

My great-grandfather graciously got off the couch as only a fairy could and walked to the window. He turned to look at me and said "There are many things that need to be arranged and much that we have yet to discuss. I need to make a few calls, but before I do that I must ask what your Viking thinks about all of this?" What a good question that is. Only problem is that he doesn't know... yet.

**A/N: I'm trying not to be too long winded or be a rambler as I write, so let me know if it starts getting annoying :) Reviews are always welcome and greatly appreciated. I was always one of those readers who loved the stories, but because I read from my mobile it was difficult to review. Now I understand why the reviews are so important :D**


	3. Chapter 3

**First and foremost…. THANK YOU TO THOSE OF YOU WHO REVIEWED! And thank you to those of you who have put me on author alert and the story on alert!**

**This is a short chapter too, there was just so much that needed to be settled I couldn't fit it all into one chapter so I split it into two. **

**Sorry for the delayed update, real life has gotten in the way just a little :/**

**No copyright infringement is intended, all credit to CH/Alan Ball… I'm just putting my daydreams into words. Enjoy and review :D**

My great-grandfather graciously got off the couch as only a fairy could and walked to the window. He turned to look at me and said "There are many things that need to be arranged and much that we have yet to discuss. I need to make a few calls, but before I do that I must ask what your Viking thinks about all of this?" What a good question that is. Only problem is that he doesn't know... yet.

"Well, things have been moving quickly. I just decided to start and make the changes early this morning. That's when I called you. I will be seeing Eric Friday night, and I plan to tell him that I'm going on 'vacation'. That's going to be my cover story to everyone, that I need time to get everything straight. The only people who will know are you and Amelia. Plus he and I have so many other things to discuss, that this will be at the bottom of the list." I knew that I would kind of be lying, and I knew that I wasn't being a good Christian by planning to omit information to everyone. I mean I was going to be going away only it wasn't really going to be vacation, but no one really needed to know that. I hope that when I came back that everyone would understand.

My great-grandfather thought about it a moment and asked "Are you sure that is wise? To keep a change of the magnitude from him? From everyone?" I thought about it for a moment. It's not that I wanted to keep it from him; I almost wanted to surprise him, by coming back a better me. "I will tell him and everyone else that I'm going away so that I can work on me. The people, who absolutely need to know everything that going on, do. Besides he makes decisions all the time without consulting me because he doesn't want to overwhelm me or scare me, or to stress me out or because he thinks it is in my best interest. That's even more proof that I need to do this. I need to be able to be his equal, not his damsel in distress."

"You really have thought this out haven't you?" My grandfather asked. "Yes, I really have. It's important to me, and to my future." My grandfather nodded in resignation and said "Then all that you ask and more will be done. We need to discuss a few things, and then the arrangements will be made. I do not foresee any issue for the preparation nor for them to take very long. Would you be able to 'go on vacation' as you say by Sunday?" Sunday that was only four days away. I felt a rush of fear and felt conflicted. So soon? But if I put it off for too long I'm sure another something else would happen to put it off. So I decided "That should be plenty of time. I will have time to talk with Eric, Jason, and my other friends." I wasn't as schooled as my grandfather when it came to controlling my feature, so I know that he saw the hesitation but he was kind enough not to push the issue.

Right then my tummy decided to rumble. I hadn't realized that it was already time for lunch, man does time fly when you making plans! "Well dear I will start making the arrangement. Please fix yourself something to eat, and by the time you're done we can discuss the matters I have for you. will also be coming by; he has some paperwork for you." He also pulled out a vial full of translucent liquid, and said "The healers have finished this for you." He handed it to me, "It is very potent so it will be best to take it before you sleep as it will put you into a deep slumber while the magic and healing properties enhance your healing from the inside out; this along with your vampires blood should make your scaring minimal. This will use much of your energy, so when you wake you will be very hungry, so make sure you eat well"

I was speechless. I knew that he was having something done, but it touched my heart and meant so much to me that he was presenting it to me. Only Eric and Amelia knew how self conscious I had been about the scares that were left behind. Eric's blood had made a huge difference, but there was still significant scaring that would pry never go away fully. "Thank you. I don't think you'll ever understand how much it means to me that you did this for me." Niall looked at me with slightly tear fill eyes and said "I'm sure that I can grasp it. I never meant for any of this to happen. I just wanted to get to know you. It was the least I could do after everything you endured." We both smiled sad smiles. I hadn't really thought about how Niall was affected by this. Seeing the sorrow in his eyes made me realizes how truly sorry he was, and that by closing the portals he was hoping to keep something like this happening again.

We embraced is a heartfelt embrace, knowing how the other was hurting and dealing with what happened. We parted, Niall to make arrangements and me to eat some food. As I was cleaning up from lunch, Niall entered into the kitchen with Mr. Cataliades. I smiled to both of them and offered refreshments and seats around the kitchen table. They both declined, so I poured myself a cup of iced tea before I sat down.

Mr. Caraliades started "I am sorry to hear of your injury from the fairy war, although you seem to be healing well." I had always liked Mr. Caraliades Since the first time that I meet Mr. Caraliades I had always felt a kinship to him, and I could never really explain why. All's I knew what that his name was a mouthful to say, so I had come into the habit of calling him Mr. C. "Thank you." was all I could think of to say. "I have a several pieces of business to discuss with you, starting with the delivery of this letter." Mr. C handed me the letter. I looked down and there was my name in beautiful cursive. Claudine's cursive. "If you would like you can read it here, but we would both understand if you would like to read it in private."

I knew that I would not be able to read a letter from Claudine without breaking down in tears so I knew that I would have to read it later. "Thank you Mr. C, would it be okay if I read it after you both have left, or does it need to be read before we continue?" Mr. C glanced at my great-grandfather who nodded and then he replied "that is not a problem at all." So I put the letter to the side, and put on my big girl pants for what we were about to discuss.

"After talking with your great-grandfather I have come prepared with several documents that we will need to review and that we will all have to sign, including the disbursement of Claudine's will." I looked from Mr. C to my great-grandfather and back. "Don't worry dear one, both Mr. Caraliades and I will be here to discuss and explain everything to you. Many of the forms are about your new status as well as a few things that should have been taken care of long ago." I was relieved that my great-grandfather could since my fear of drowning with all of this information, and he had thrown me a life saver. "I really appreciate it, thank you both." They both smiled at me when Mr. C said "We have much to cover so let us begin."

**A/N: Sorry for the short chapter! Hope you still enjoyed :) Reviews are always welcome and greatly appreciated :D**


	4. Chapter 4

**First and foremost…. THANK YOU TO THOSE OF YOU WHO REVIEWED! And thank you to those of you who have put me on author alert and the story on alert! I think I finally found out how to reply to reviews… It's through private messaging right? I hope so, because that's what I did :) **

**So alas, this is the continuation of chapter three…. I'm a slow writer, so if your sticking with the sorry know that you are appreciated :) **

**This story has no beta… So all mistakes are mine. Any feedback is welcome, I would love to hear your thoughts! **

**No copyright infringement is intended, all credit to CH/Alan Ball… I'm just putting my daydreams into words. Enjoy :D **

Sitting at my gran's kitchen table with two men as distinguished and Niall and Mr. C reaffirmed that I was doing the right thing; cause let me tell you I had so much to learn. Shortly after we began it was decided that Mr. C would act as my legal representation for further matters dealing with supernatural issues, or even those that didn't. There was even back up plans if for some reason Mr. C couldn't represent me. Being prepared for all of the eventualities wasn't just an Eric thing; it was apparently a supe thing, and something that I needed to start learning.

The first item on the agenda was the disbursement of Claudine' will. Claudine and her baby had died to protect me I couldn't think of anything else that she could give me. Her will stated that I got nearly everything. My heart sank. If I could I would give it all back if that mean that both of them could be here with me. Anyone who knew Claudine could tell you that she loved shopping and fashion, she even worked at a mall. This would explain why she had apartments in some of the biggest fashion hot spots; apartments in Paris, New York, and Milan; all of which she left to me. She had also left me her house in Ireland, all of her cars, and all her bank accounts as well. Claudine had also left me her stock in my great-grandfathers company. Her half of Hooligans would go to Claude, which was fine with me, I wanted nothing to do with a strip club.

All of her fae assets would revert to her husband, Coleman. The only things from faery that I would inherit would be family heirlooms. Oh god, I hadn't even thought about Coleman. I had never met him, but obviously there had to be a father to Claudine's baby. I wonder if he could ever forgive me. I couldn't believe that she was gone, all because I had to be stubborn and have my way. I knew at this moment that I would do my best not to put those I love in any unnecessary danger. Loss was inevitable, but unneeded loss can be prevented. That what I was going to do, be proactive and protective of those I loved. What I didn't know was what was I suppose to do with all of these things? It was all too much, all of it.

I started to cry and told Mr. C and Niall that I couldn't accept any of it. The both understood my loss; they too had both lost ones they loved in their long lives. The both told me that I accepting what Claudine had left me was a way keeping her with me always. The reminded me that I had yet to read her letter, and that she probably explained everything. So I pulled myself together, wiped my tears and signed the paperwork for the transfer of everything. It made me nervous that I would have all of these things, especially because of the price that was paid for me to receive them. Maybe one day I could forgive myself.

After Mr. C put that paperwork aside he pulled out another stack. Niall began with "As you know the arrangement between your grandmother and my son prohibited me from being involved in your life. If I had been involved from the beginning this would have been very different for you. As I am a price, you are indeed a princess, regardless of what percentage of fae you are, you are of the Brigant line. Your spark is strong which means that there is a good chance your magic will be strong as well. You would have been raised understanding what that position means, your schooling would have been more in line with the training you are only now seeking, and you would have been preparing for your inevitable quickening that would be a short time from now." He paused to gage how I was taking things so far; I nodded my head in understanding and motioned with my hands to continue.

Niall smiled and said "As you have stated you wish to embrace who you are. My hope is that now knowing your lineage you will accept your proper title. In doing so, there will be ramifications, including proclaiming your independence from the vampires. This is what would have been done from the beginning, if things were different, and the counsel would already be aware of who and what you are. Because you will be accepting and proclaiming your lineage, you will no longer fall under the domain of 'human' and will not be ruled by other races as a mere asset as human usually are. Although the vampires may try to interfere, it could be considered an act of war as you are a princess." Huh. This was a lot to take in. I wasn't even sure what he was saying but he continued. "If I would have been involved in your life from the beginning these things would have been done. This also means that the vampires with have no right to you as an asset, which means that you are no longer obligated to them as a part of their retinue." The three of us smiled at that. I was thankful to have the opportunity to be my own again.

"So what does this all mean?" I asked. I knew that I was basically asking him to tell me what he already had, but my brain was working a little slow it seemed. I wanted to make sure I understood the implications of what was being said. "Well dear, it is my hope that you will take the Brigant name as it is your rightful name by birth. I would also hope that you would be willing to sign he paperwork that would be needed to implementing your new status as a Sky Fae Princess. The paperwork would not be filled until right before your impending return and the completion of your quickening. This will also change your arrangement with your vampire. You may still be bound to him by blood, but you are not subject to his people's laws as a human would be as a mere asset. As a human asset they would hold power over you whether you realized it or not. By accepting your rightful place, you are no longer just an asset. You are royalty of another race and not subject to being their asset, but an ally if you choose or just an associate. With that said you will still be held accountable to some of their laws with regards to your marriage by knife and bonding. Your change will not affect that."

This was even harder to take in than my inheritance from Claudine. I knew that I wanted to move forward, but was I giving up to much of myself? I had always been a Stackhouse. Was I willing to give that up? That had been my identity for so long. "Great-grandfather, not that I am not grateful for all that you are doing, it's just that I don't know if I am willing to give up my name. I know it may sound trivial to the both of you, but it part of how I've identified myself for so long… I just don't know."

My great-grandfather nodded in understanding. "I know that it may be a lot to take in, and it may seem like its asking a lot, however if things would have been done properly you would have never been named a Stackhouse, you would have been a Brigant. It is up to you, but it is who you were meant to be and your grandmother and my son took that away from you. They took away all the things that you would have grown up knowing. You would have had all that you're looking for now. I would like to say you have time to decide, however you only have now to decide."

I needed to think about this for a moment, and couldn't do it with Mr. C and Niall both staring at me. "I need a refill, would either of you like anything to drink?" They both accepted a glass of tea, which meant that there was still much to discuss, I just had to make a choice on this name thing so we could move on. I poured our glasses of tea, and really thought about what was before me. My gran always said in for a penny, in for a pound; so I guess I have my answer. I grabbed the glasses and took them to the table, happy to have arrived to my decision.

"I will make the necessary changes as you have outlined." Both Niall and Mr. C raised their eyebrows not convinced that it would have been this easy to get me to agree. But as I poured our refreshments it hit me. To be the best Sookie I could be I had to embrace all of myself. Changing my name didn't change who I was, it would allow me to become who I was always meant to be. Niall was right; this was meant to be my name all along.

"Well then, just sign these papers. They outline your heritage to the counsel, registers you as a fae that way you cannot be claimed as a human asset, and because your prior contracts were signed as a human you will no longer be bound by those parameters as you are no longer human, although there will be a fee to break the contracts Niall has already agreed to make those payments. You are also signing for your legal name change here. If you so choose, new contracts may be drawn up if you are still considering offering your services, however I greatly caution signing anything without me there to review the content. After your quickening the paperwork will be submitted to the appropriate parties." I was grateful that Mr. C was so thorough when he explained what I was signing. It made me excited that I was taking back my independence.

As I signed the paperwork that would set me free of my human limitations and other thought popped into my head. If I was such a hot commodity as a human who was telepathic I wonder what kind of crowd I would gather as a telepathic fairy princess. "Mr. C do you think there will still be a demand from the vampires for me to use my telepathy?" Mr. C thought for a moment "I believe that they will indeed still request your services, the only difference is your not under a king or queens retinue you will not be required to be at their disposal as you have in the past. There is a strong chance that other races will request your services, as the Were's have in the past."

Hmm… I knew that I would not be able to be a waitress at Merlots forever; maybe this was the change I needed to do something with my life. "Mr. C do you think that I could use my gift and kinda make it a business? Do you think something like that would work, or would there be enough clientele?" Both Mr. C and Niall smiled. "I think that would be a great idea. You could establish a consulting company. I could set up that while you are gone if you would like." I nodded and smiled and Mr. C started to jot down notes. "I think that is a great idea as well, very wise to establish yourself on your own terms" agreed Niall. It meant so much to have both of their approval; it was new territory for me, not being the poor backwater county bumpkin but instead a southern lady with a pending career…. It was exciting and frightening all at the same time.

Between the three of us we came up with everything for my new consulting business. Mr. C stated that after I had come up with a name that he would register the business, set up the tax registration, as well as set up the proper banks accounts and that kind of thing. It would all be set up upon my return. They both cautioned me many things, the most important of which was my own security. I knew that would be something that I could talk to Eric about. They both also thought that it may be a good idea to consider assistant/business manager to help maintain the business end of things; to do the paperwork and prep the appointments, to deal with the billing. Another point they mentioned was that I might want to possibly think of having a business front, just in case meeting or contract negotiations needed to be held.

I couldn't help but wonder if maybe Amelia would be interested in going to business with me. She was a formidable witch and was incredibly organized. Maybe we could combine both of our gifts. I mentioned it to Mr. C and Niall and both agree that it was a possibility, and that they would keep an eye out for anyone who would be appropriate if for some reason Amelia didn't work out. I couldn't wait to talk to Amelia!

It was the late afternoon by the time we had finally come to the last item on the agenda. Training. I was advised that both Mr. C and Niall agreed that the best place to train would be in the fae realm. One of its greatest advantages was the time distortion. Time there moved at a faster in pace than on this realm, which meant that I could accomplish more without taking away from my time here. In addition to the time benefit it was also important to be there as that is where my quickening would be held. I would have to take a serum for the remainder of my days here to prep my body for the quickening that would occur shortly after arriving in the fae realm. After my quickening I would be presented to the fae people as a princess of the Brigant Bloodline fully establishing me in that realm as the registering did here in this realm. That would establish who I was and pave the way for my reveal in the human realm, cause let's be honest, those supes are a bunch of gossips! And word always travels fast.

After my quickening the more intensive training would begin. The time needed to complete my training would be the equivalent of approximately one month in the human realm. My daily training schedule would basically look like: breakfast; morning stretching, meditation, calling power and grounding power; mid morning I would study battle history and strategy; Weapons training to follow; finally a break for lunch; on to telepathic training; followed by training for my fae magic; then off to supe school that included fae history and language, as well as information on the other races and realms; ending with dinner then finally sleep. Repeat next day until training completion. It was going to be a grueling schedule, but it was what needed to been done. It exhausted me to just talk and think about it, I wasn't sure what it was going to be like doing it.

After finishing with the last of the signatures and last minute notations, I shook Mr. C's hand and gave my great-grandfather a hug. We said our goodbyes and they were gone. If you would have asked me last week if I would be going through with something like this I would have called you crazy. But hours after running the idea by Amelia, everything had been arranged. Niall had instructed me to make sure I take the healing remedy tonight, and to take the remaining vials and dusk every day. On Sunday after I said my goodbyes to everyone Niall would come get me to take me through the portal.

I was proud of all the progress that had been made, but there were so many things left to do. So I started with calling everyone to make sure that they could come over on Sunday for an evening BBQ. Sam, Jason, Amelia and Tray all agreed to come by for Sunday at twilight for the BBQ. Everyone offered to bring something so I wouldn't have to do everything, which I was extremely thankful for. Jason said he would even come over early and start the grilling. I was slowly learning to accept things from others, even if it went against my grain, but I knew that I would be so busy over the weekend that I couldn't pass up the help.

When I called Alcide I asked him if he would come to the BBQ, and also asked if he would be okay doing some remodeling for me. Alcide agreed and offered to come over tomorrow around noon so that we could go over all the changes that I wanted to make, and I offered to make us some lunch.

I also left messages for Pam, Bill and Eric; but I knew that I would get to explain more to Eric when he came over Friday night. I just hoped that all the people who meant something to me would be willing to get along for one night. I was hoping to be able to make the BBQ a thank you for everyone helping me, and a way to let them all know at the same time that I was going away for a few weeks. Luckily for me Eric and Amelia would both be there to support me…. Well I knew that Amelia was with me, I just hoped Eric would be on board too.

By the time I finished making all my calls it was well past dark, and time for me to get some dinner. I heated up some left over's and sat down to eat. While I was enjoying dinner all the vampires' text me back to accept the invitation. Pam said that she would bring their refreshments.

One reply in particular made me blush like crazy; of course it was from Eric. _Lover, I would love to cum for dinner, I will be sure to bring my appetite. Eric. _My goodness, only he could make a simple dinner invitation so inappropriate; and I secretly loved it, not that I would admit it to anyone. So of course I have to reply with the sass I know he loves. _There will be so many cuming for dinner, that I hope I have enough to go around ;)_ I loved the simple banter that we had, light and fun, although he didn't think my reply was that funny. We both said our goodnights and I went back to my dinner before it got to cold.

In the hussel and bustle I had almost forgot that I still had Claudine's letter to read. So I quickly finished my meal, cleaned up, said goodbye to Eric. I left all my copies of the paperwork in the kitchen, took the letter and got comfortable on the couch. I turned the letter over in my hand, took a deep breath and broke the seal. I pulled out the paper and began to read.

_To my dearest cousin Sookie._

_When I first received my assignment as your fairy godmother I was so excited. Not only because I would be able to work towards my goal, but also because I would finally be able to meet you. I was hoping that after meeting you we would become fast friends and close family. Although we haven't gotten to spend as much time together as I would like, what time we have spent together has been wonderful. Please know that all of my hopes for our meeting were filled and then some. Exciting things always happen around you!_

_If you are receiving this letter, it means that something has happened to me. It also means that I had not gotten a chance to express to you what my wishes were. My mother is gone, my sister is gone, and if you have this now, so is my child. Coleman has no interest in things in the human realm, and Claude has no interest in things in the faery realm; this means that my assets in the faery realm, with the exception of family heirlooms (which will go to you) will revert to Coleman, and when I spoke with Claude he wanted for nothing, so that leaves you to inherit my earthly possessions. _

_Know that I have regrets for little in my life, and know that I was made better by knowing you. No matter what comes your way stay true to who you are. Nothing can change your love for life, and your love for others. You have come a long way, and have a ways yet to go. My hope is that you will learn to love and accept yourself as you try and accept and love others; and one day I hope that you truly realizes and accept how much you are loved. _

_There are many lessons in life, embrace them, learn from them, and always live your life as you always have…. With love. _

_Love always, _

_Claudine_

I read the letter over and over… and cried and cried. I was reading this letter because of my actions, and I cried. I cried for losing Claudine and her baby, I cried for my gran, for all that I had gone through, for everything that I lost, for everyone that I had lost. I cried from my heart, from my soul…

**A/N: I hope that you enjoyed this chapter! If you're with me so far know that I appreciate it! Was this chapter too drawn out? If I started to ramble, I apologize…. Just trying to find a rhythm and figure out what works. Hope that your enjoying :) Oh, anyone have any ideas for the name of the consulting business?**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello? I am sorry for such a delayed update…. School, work, life… it all got into the way :/ Here is the next chapter, I hope you all like it :D The 'Talk' is still at least a chapter away. Sookie has a jam packed day or two.**

**With no Betta all mistakes are mine, if you are still with me THANK YOU! **

**No copyright infringement is intended, all credit to CH/Alan Ball… I'm just putting my daydreams into words. Enjoy :D**

I could feel the morning sun streaming in. I turned over in my bed… wait how did I get in my bed… the last thing that I remembered was crying on the couch. But as I open my eyes I find myself wrapped in my favorite afghan, Eric's afghan. I leisurely stretch and look around as my eyes fall on the pillow next to me.

There just happens to be a note lying there. My stomach clenches and my heart flutters, knowing that only Eric left me notes like this. I wonder why he didn't wake me if he was her last night. Hmm. As I bring up the note that was lying on the pillow next to me, I see Eric beautiful script that says _My lover_. I couldn't wait to open the letter to see what Eric had to say.

_Lover, _

_I am truly looking forward to your Sunday BBQ, although to be honest I wish that it was just you and I. Shortly after our texting had finished I felt your intense pain, sadness, and despair. I called you and texted you, without being able to reach you. When I arrived and saw you sleeping I placed you in your bed so you could rest properly. _

_Know that you are an angel when you are sleeping, my angel. And it seems as though you my little angel have been a busy woman, as evident by the different smells in your home. I am looking forward to hearing all about them and to what distressed you so._

_Please take care of yourself today. _

_Always, _

_Eric_

Tears feel from my eyes before I could even try and stop them. I didn't think I had any tears left after last night. He had come all the way from Fangtasia just to make sure I was okay. He cared that much. He loved me that much. I had really felt horrible last night, especially because I was coming face to face with the consequences of my actions, and everything else that came crashing down at once.

Eric's letter was the only thing that made me feel better, it gave me hope. Now more than ever, I was sure that we had to have our conversations, all of them. I knew in my heart that my decisions were right. So much was going on, that it's hard to try and keep track of everything that we need to sit down and actually discuss. Hopefully Friday would give us the time we needed.

But that was for tomorrow, and I had much to do today. I looked at my clock and it was only 10:30 am, so I got up and started my morning routine. I looked in the mirror, and I looked a mess, my eyes were red and puffy, and don't get me started on my hair.

So I decided to take a little extra time in the shower. After I got out I quickly brushed out my hair and started to brush my teeth. While brushing my teeth I remember that I forgot to take my healing mixture that Niall brought me, crap. _Note to self, take both vials tonight!_

After dressing for the day, I headed for the kitchen for some much needed coffee. If I was ever on a deserted island coffee would be the one thing I would have to bring with me. While I was drinking my coffee and eating a light breakfast I brainstormed on all the things that would have to get done.

First on my list was prepping lunch for Alicde and me. Sandwiches, macaroni salad, and chips should be fine. So I moved my way around the kitchen preparing the macaroni salad, and making sure that I had the other necessities for lunch in stock, which luckily I did.

Next on the 'to do' list is making sure that I have everything ready to go over with Alicide. It wasn't too hard to get everything together, since I had the magazines with the stuff that I really liked, and the basic list of things that I would need done for update. I was just hoping that Alicide would be able to help fill in on any updates that I might have missed.

By the time I had everything together and laid out it was close to noon. As if on cue I could _hear _Alicde turning onto the street, and then heard him driving down the driveway.

Perfect timing.

As I walked to the front door Alicide was knocking. I opened the door and gave Alicde a wide smile and big hug "Hey Alicide, thank for coming over."

Alicide inhaled deeply and said "it's good to see you cher, I was glad that you called. You're looking real good, much better than the last time I saw you." Supes and there heightened senses. I don't know if I will ever get over the sniffing thing.

"Thanks. Its been a rough road, but with the people who love me around, its helped a lot. I'm glad you could come over, there has been a lot going on that its been hard to keep up with everything." I gave a terse smile as I lead him into the kitchen. "Please sit down will I get lunch ready."

Alicide smiled "Is there anything that I can help with?" It was sweet of him to offer, but somehow it seemed a little to intimate so I kindly declined. "So what is it that you have me doing here? You mentioned some renovations."

As I brought our plates and drink over I noted that Alicde had really come prepared. He had a blueprint with the general layout of the house prepared and a legal pad to take notes on.

"Well, it's a long story, and you'll hear more on Sunday, but the short of it is that I have inherited a little money and figured it was time to make some updates to this ole house." I smiled and continued "The Stackhouse's have added on over the years, and I guess now it's my turn."

Alicide did his best to smile with a mouth full of food, and after he swallowed said "Well I'm glad you thought of me to help. I brought a blue print so we can use it to plan. What were you thinking of doing?"

"Well, this is an old house, and the way things are going it seems that my life will never be 'normal' so its time I upgrade." Alicide nodded solemnly, knowing what my history has been.

"So basically I'm looking to have the entire house reinforced and supe proofed as much as possible. The additions over the years, while done the best they could for the time, kinda make the house a little disjointed. I want to smooth everything out. I want it to be similar to how it is now, but just better and definitely reinforced, remodeled, and maybe even fire proofed."

We both chuckled as we remembered the time that a vampire named Charles Twinning had tried to burn my house not too long ago. "I also want to make it vampire safe." I held my breath waiting for the disapproval I knew Alicide would have.

"I was with you until the vampire safe part. Are you sure that being with a vampire is safe and best for you? I mean think about everything you have gone through since they came into your life Sookie. Is that how you want it to keep being" Alicide asked with a look of distain on his face.

I could _hear_ that he was only looking out for what was best for me and really only wanted me to be happy. He just didn't see it happening with a vampire, even though he was remembering the ways Eric and I looked at each other, with love and devotion. Something that deep down he wish he had too.

Alicide thought on all the supernatural politics, especially Were and Vamp politics… some of it I didn't understand, he knew more about the supernatural world than I did, and what he knew worried him. It was for those reasons that I let the Stackhouse temper go, and just decided to be honest.

"I know that you are only looking out for what's best for me because you care so much for me, and know that means the world to me because you are one of my close friends, but Eric is who I want to be with, who I want to share my life with." Alicide smiled and nodded and I read that he was resigning himself to those facts, even if he didn't like them. Well he didn't have to, I thought to myself.

"Well then let's talk more about what you're looking to do." I showed him all of the things like I liked out of the magazines, and he took notes. He offered ideas here and there and by the time 2 pm came around we had a solid plan. The plan was basically that the entire house would be properly and majorly reinforced and fireproofed, updated and renovated.

By the time he was done the house was going to look and feel brand new, while keeping it kinda the same. We also resigned ourselves to the fact that Eric would definitely want to have a say or opinion on something we had decided, so Alicide promised that he would work with Eric on anything else he or they could come up with.

All of the windows would be replaced with bulletproof and vampire safe windows, with emergency shutters in case of attack. The entire outside of the house and the roof would be upgraded and/or replaced as needed. The entire structure would be reinforced, reinsulated, and sound proofed. The attic would be remodeled, as would the second and first floors. The bathrooms and air conditioning would be upgraded. And of course we brainstormed on a 'hidey hole' as I had been accustom to calling it.

I wanted to make sure that Eric and Pam both felt comfortable staying with me at my house. So we decided that the best thing to do was to make an entire underground floor; a floor that is vampire and human safe, with several rooms, a small kitchen, and a bathroom. Alicide called it a major upgrade of a 'safe room', and he was right it may have been a bit over the top. Alicide had said that he would take our basic idea and let Eric make any necessary adjustments he saw fit for safety and security, or for him and Pam's comfort.

"Now I'm about to give you some insider information here buddy, and I expect that you keep it to yourself, okay?" Alicide nodded. "I am going away for about a month to get myself together. My hope is that on Sunday you can iron out any other things that Eric thinks should be added, and hopefully you could get as much as you can done in the month I'm gone. Do you think that would be possible?"

Alicide really thought about it for a moment. "Well you have a lot of things in the house, and there is a lot to be done, but I think that we can get a lot of it done before you get back if we work crews everyday all day. It could get a little expensive. You are also going to have to pack everything up and get it out of here before Monday. I can send over a truck a couple good guys to help you get everything done Friday, Saturday, and Sunday if you want."

I hadn't really thought about getting everything out yet, but I was really relieved that Alicide offered to send some helpers. "Well the money won't be an issue, so I would appreciate if you could get as much done as you can."

I smiled, and continued "I really appreciate your offer for the extra help, I hadn't thought about getting everything cleared out. I will need to make sure to get a storage locker. Oh and I think that Amelia will be handling all interior decorating stuff, I will be showing her what I showed you, plus she knows me well enough to get everything else together and set up. So any questions can go through her or Eric." Alicide smiled and took a few notes.

"I will make sure to talk to her or Eric about any questions. So can you tell me where you are going or do I have to wait until Sunday?" I smiled, and my insides were jumping for joy that everything was coming together so well.

"As for where I'm going, you'll have to wait like the other, you already know too much as it its!" Amelia didn't know about her new weekend plans and I told Alicide as much and we both laughed. Hopefully she would agree to them.

"Well I will start making plans, and get the teams and supplies together. I'm sure Eric will have some say about the 'hidey hole' as you call it, but I can still get a lot done tonight and over the next few days. Thanks for lunch, it was real good."

We walked to the door smiling "Thank you Alicide for helping me with all this, I really appreciate it." Alicide smiled and said "Sure thing, you are paying me for it anyhow." It was his turn to wink, and I punched his arm.

"Watch it, the check might bounce." We laughed again as he walked out the door, and said our goodbyes. I stood at the door and watched Alicde drive away, with a huge smile on my face for all the real good friends I had, and for the fact that everything seemed to be finally falling into place.

I thought about it as I was walking back into the kitchen. Since I have decided to stop running and fighting against who I am, things have just seemed to fall in place and work out. Maybe this is how is how it was suppose to be after all.

There was still some doubt, but that had more to do with my impending time with Eric, but my chest wasn't so tight and the anxiety I didn't even know I had was lifting with every decision I made.

I took a few deep breaths and decided to keep on keeping on. So I went to the phone and called Amelia. I told her everything that Alicide and I had spoken about, including the movers and the possible need for a storage locker. Amelia of course knew of one right away.

I finally worked up the nerve to ask and asked her once again for her help. Amelia squealed so loud that I had to move the phone away from my ear; she said that she was just so excited that things were going so well that she just couldn't stop from being happy. She was overjoyed for me, and before we hung up she promised to help.

* * *

><p>One thing I shoulda remembered about Amelia is that she wastes no time. Within 45 minutes she was pulling up to the house in Tray's truck, with her mind going about a mile a minute. I was having a hard time trying to sort through her thoughts cause they were just jumping to so many places, it was disorienting.<p>

I opened the door as Amelia walked up. "Amelia what are you doing here? And why do you have Tray's truck, your car okay?" She grabbed my arm and pulled me towards the truck and proceeded to tell me "I just couldn't wait Sookie, I hope that you're not mad, and I didn't mean to be 'high handed' as you call it, but I set up the storage unit and got all these boxes and bubble wrap so we could start tonight!"

Amelia's excitement and anticipation was contagious, which is probably why I was having a hard time being mad, instead I just got excited. It was a reality check that this was really happening. Between Eric's letter and her being her, I felt renewed, like it isn't too late to make things better, especially because I knew I wasn't alone.

I gave her a great big hug and said "Of course I'm not mad! Thank you so much for being willing to help me with all of it. Now help me with all these supplies you got!" We grabbed all of the boxes and bubble wrap and brought them into the living room, and got down to making a plan.

"So you said that you are going to have muscles Saturday and Sunday right?" I nodded. "Then what I think we should do is order some Italian, and start going through the house. Green dots for 'go' as in you don't want it anymore and red dot for 'stop' cause you want to keep it." A rushed over to her and gave her another hug. "Amelia, you are brilliant! That is a great idea! Let order and get started!"

And that is exactly what we did. After talking about what exactly I wanted for the house, and after going over everything in the magazines we decided that most of the things would be replaced. Things like the couch and tables, old beds and night stands and dressers, old drapes and rugs, all of the yard sale pictures and accessories; they all got green dots.

We decided that we could donate all that stuff to the Salvation Army. All of the old linens and towels got packet up and got a green dot, cause those were defiantly going to get replaced. We took a break around 6 so that we could eat, and then picked right back up.

Between the two of us, the kitchen, living room, closets, and bedrooms had all been gone through, maybe not completely packed but at least gone through. All that was really left was packing up the sentimental and personal items and to go through the attic.

While we were packing I had a chance to tell her all about what happened with Niall and Mr. C. She was impressed with everything we had discussed, planned, and everything that would be happening. The only thing I left out was about the business I was going to be starting.

"I am exhausted, and its only 8:30 pm" I said to Amelia. She just laughed and said "Yea the adrenaline and excitement has worn off." We both smiled and laughed. "I'm going to head back over to Tray's for the night, but I'll be back in the morning to finish packing up my room." My heart had a little twinge, I wasn't sure if she would actually be moving back in after she moved everything out to Tray's.

"So have you and Tray talked about moving in together?" Amelia stopped what she was doing and thought about it for a moment. "We haven't really talked about it per say, but I have been spending a lot of time over there lately." I wanted nothing more than happiness for my friend, especially after everything she had done for me, and if that meant that she would be moving out I would support her like she has supported me.

"Well, with all the construction I am sure you will be staying over there. But I just want you to know that you always have a home here, whatever you decide I support you 100%." She smiled and said "I really appreciate that Sook, I think of you as family so it means a lot that I have a place to call home. I'm sure Tray and I will talk about it while you're gone, and when you get back I'm sure I will know for sure what we are going to do."

"I think of you as family too. I also have something else to talk about with you before you leave. You don't have to answer me tonight, but I would kinda need to know before Sunday." She nodded and smiled "Sure Sook, what's up?"

"Well I didn't mention one thing that I talked to Niall and Mr. C about. It made me nervous to talk to them, but they thought it was great and the first person I thought of doing it with was you." We both smiled, "Your being cryptic Sookie, what is it? Tell me already!"

"Well with my status change I am going to have a lot of leeway with what I can do, where and with whom. So I am going to start a consulting company. My hope was that with your skills as a witch and my telepathy and whatever I come back with that we could use our skills and really do some good."

I was afraid of what she was going to say, so I started to ramble just a little. "Well, basically it will be a lot of what I'm forced to do now, but we will make it professional, and on our terms. I talked to Mr. C and he said that he could have everything set up by the time I get back, and have preliminary contracts drawn up for our different services that our clients would have to sign. Maybe even have an office for consultations and a face for the company. What do you think?"

It was Amelia's turn to rush over and give me a hug. "YES, YES, YES, a thousand times YES!" Shouted Amelia. We ended up laughing and jumping up and down like teenage girls. It was the first time in a really long time that I had laughed and felt this good.

We took some time and hammered out the specifics. We came up with very basic ground rules and additions that we wanted added to client contracts if they weren't in there already. We even thought of having the contracts be bound by magic to ensure confidentiality and anonymity, even if it was just for a consultation. We also thought about basic services and cost points, Amelia even mentioned that with the magic I would learn in Faery I could probably assist with the magical side of business too.

We decided that having an official office would be the best idea. That way we had a place for personal offices, files, supplies, a conference room and even a lobby. Amelia completely agreed with having guards on any job that we did, and if I hadn't have brought it up she said she would have.

We were so excited, we would be a combined duo offering our combined services that came from both of our 'gifts' as Amelia keep calling them. We hadn't come up with any names for the company yet, but she said she would keep thinking on it.

We said our goodbyes, both elated with all the excitement of what the future would bring us. Amelia reminded me that she would be by sometime in the morning, so that I wouldn't be surprised if I heard anything.

After Amelia left I went around and made sure to lock everything up and turn off all the lights. I grabbed my cell phone and made sure to plug it in so it wouldn't be dead when I noticed that I had a couple text messages from a certain Viking.

Message 1  
><em>I woke to your feelings of happiness, elation, and determination. Much better than yesterday.<em>

Message 2  
><em>Don't forget about our plans tomorrow lover, make sure you are ready after first dark.<em>

Message 3  
><em>Dress casual, we are going to be outside. <em>

That Viking. I didn't want him to think I was ignoring him, so I sent a quick message back. _Amelia and I were on a mission tonight, I will tell you about it tomorrow, I have many things to tell you. I could never forget about our plans, I will be ready and waiting. Night XO Sookie._

I plugged my phone in and got ready for bed, and tonight I remembered to take both of the vials Niall gave me. I climbed into bed in better spirits that I had been in a really long time. It wasn't long before I drifted off into a deep sleep and dreamt of the future, and all of its possibilities.

**A/N: I hope that you enjoyed this chapter! This chapter started to get long, but I couldn't find a good place to cut it, so I posted it all. If you're with me so far know that I appreciate it! Hope that your enjoying :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**So I am trying to get back on track with updates, so here is the next chapter :)**

**THANK YOU TO THOSE OF YOU WHO REVIEWED AND ADDED ALERTS 3 **

**With no Betta all mistakes are mine, if you are still with me THANK YOU! **

**No copyright infringement is intended, all credit to CH/Alan Ball… I'm just putting my daydreams into words. Enjoy :D**

_Creek. Bump, bump. Clink. Screech. Scrape. Bang. _I woke up startled. What the heck was going on, who was here, what were they doing? I went straight to panic mode. I cast my mental net and _heard_ Amelia making metal notes, and then heard the mumbled version of her instructions to someone.

Then I remembered everything. I slowly laid back down, waiting for my heart rate to get back to normal while I listen to all the weird noises. Huh. So this is what it sounds like when people move. I had been in this house since I was a young girl, and we hadn't moved anywhere. Ever. So I hadn't had any real experience with it. Thankfully Amelia knew how to handle things.

As I laid there I realized how groggy I felt, rested but like I was sleeping beauty getting up for the first time in ages. I felt completely rested, and relaxed. Well until I had been startled by the noises. But all in all I felt as good as my great-grandfather told me I would. I just hoped that the outside of me healed up as much as much as it felt like the inside had.

I gingerly got out of bed and stretched when my stomach growled, food was definitely in order. I walked over to the bathroom and took a gander at the power of faery healing. _HOLY SHIT!_ I am not one for cursing, but oh my goodness. I am going to have to give my great-grandfather a really big hug next time I see him.

The healing that took place in one night was amazing. It's not like the healing mixture had healed everything. Each and every mark and scratch weren't gone, but the worst of the deep gouges that were made by the twins had been dramatically filled in, and the appearance of the scares that were left had lightened up significantly. On top of the healing, I felt as though I had caught up on all the sleep that I had missed over the last couple of years.

My body felt younger, and I felt more aware and awake than I had in a long time. I was just figuring that between the healing mixture, the quickening mixture, and all of the vampire blood I had it was like my body had just gotten a makeover somehow. I wasn't going to start complaining mind you, not with everything that had to be done over the next couple of days, I needed all the energy I could get.

I pulled myself away from staring at the mirror and started with my morning routine. As I was finishing getting ready I finally noticed that it wasn't morning any more. Niall had warned me that I would go into a deep sleep, and would use a ton of energy which was probably why I felt so hungry, but I had no idea that I would sleep until almost noon! I had slept well over 12 hours! Yea it was definitely time for some coffee and food.

I walked down stairs and Amelia was waiting there for me with a cup of coffee. "You are my savior! This is just what I needed." I said to Amelia. "Yea, I figured as much. I have some food in the kitchen if you're hungry. I was about to come up and see if you were still alive." She said with a laugh. "Food. Yes. Please." I said like a zombie, and we both laughed. "Follow me, and wait till you see what we have gotten done!"

As we walked up to the dining room I gawked at its emptiness, it was completely empty, only the pealing wallpaper was left. I was shocked. We walked into the kitchen, and it was bare too. "Holy cow! It's like a barren waste land! Where did everything go? And how did you get it done so quickly?" I said with a laugh as she handed me a bagel with cream cheese, I eyed it as I took a bite.

"Yea, well I'm a witch so anything is possible." She said with a wink. "Besides there are things to do, and there's no time to waste!" She had seen me eye the bagel "Sorry for the bagel, it's all we really have left right now. Everything has been moved out, except our bedrooms and bathrooms, and the attic; we will have that done Sunday afternoon."

I just smiled "Thank you for taking charge and helping me with this. I owe you big time." She took me by the arm and guided me toward the hall "Don't mention it, you know me I'm great at organizing and getting things done. I like doing it, it keeps me busy and on my toes." She said with a smile.

"Just so you know, and don't freak out later, anything that looked remotely like it would be important to you or if it looked really old was packed up and sent to storage so that you could go through it later." She smiled at me knowing that was exactly what I would have wanted. "Now come on, wait until you see the living room!"

We walked into the living room and I came to a dead stop. My eyes started tearing up as I look around at the room. There was nothing. Nothing but the faded paint, the peeling wallpaper, the worn floor, and the fireplace that was slowly crumbling. The kitchen and dining room where just two rooms, but seeing all of the rooms cleared out hit me kinda hard. This was real. I was really doing this. I was really going to change everything. Amelia came and put her arms around me.

"Don't cry Sookie, it's okay. Everything is going as planned, even a little ahead of schedule." She held me tight while tears came down my checks. I separated myself and walked around the room "What am I doing Amelia? Is this all too much?" I asked with my arms spread wide indicating to the room and everything around. "I know I'm trying to grow and embrace everything, but am I changing too much, getting rid of too much too quick?"

Amelia walked over to me, took my hands, looked me in the eyes and said "Right now, right here, you can stop this. We can bring everything back. You don't have to go, you don't have to change or grow; you can still change your mind about doing all of this." I had looked down somewhere in the middle of what she was saying.

She put her hand under my chin and brought my head up to where our eyes met. "You can stay here, keep your head in the clouds, and pretend that things are different. You can pretend that you are normal and simple, and that nothing supernatural will interrupt your life again. But we both know those hopes will never be."

She took a deep breath before she continued, "Or what you can do is you can let go of the doubt, the second guessing and embrace these changes. It is up to you, but you are only hurting yourself and the ones you love by going back and forth. Only you can make this choice. So make it and stick with it."

She gave me hug and walked toward the doorway when she stopped. "Take some time and think it over. I will be outside when you make your decision." As she walked away I looked around and didn't even hear the door close.

As I walked around the room, all of my childhood memories came back. They flooded my mind, and brought a smile to my face. We had some wonderful times in this house. I stopped and ran my fingers along the outline of where a picture used to be, the outline was clear. I could still remember the picture, and when it was taken. I walked to the kitchen and was flooded with even more memories. I was realizing that although there were some really really bad memories, there were more good ones.

I don't know why I was questioning everything now. Somehow the planning seemed to be like a dream, just some wishful thinking on my part. Maybe it was my insecurities creeping in, the part deep down that didn't think that this was for me, that this would never really happen, or that maybe that I wasn't worth it. But as I looked around the house with the memories still fresh in my mind, I found that just by remembering my spirit was lifted.

How many times had I ran to gran and asked her "Why? Why had I been cursed? Why couldn't I be normal?" The answer was I had asked my gran that more times than I cared to count. My gran had always listened to my worries, to my insecurities. She had always reassured me, counseled me, gave me hope, and a kick in the rear.

She had one more than one occasion reminded me "Dear girl, you are no more cursed than the rest of us. What you have is a gift, and you have been given this gift for a reason. It's part of your destiny and only time will tell why you have it and what you will use it for. No reason to be ashamed of it now or ever."

When she had said that I had gotten angry with her, I was ashamed of it, and yelled back "Destiny? How would this help with my destiny, I don't even have a destiny, we live in a small hick town in the middle of nowhere!"

She had come over to me and explained it to me the best way she could "We all have a destiny whether we realize it or not. We all have a part to play." She took a breath and thought for a minute before she continued.

"Remember those mad libs you and Jason used to do? There was a basic story, and you two had to fill in the blanks." I nodded, "That's kida what destiny is like, something's are set, something's you get to choose, but in any case there is a story, even if you don't see it at the time. You have to wait till the end and read it back to know how all the pieces fit."

It hadn't made much sense to me then, and I cringed remembering that I had yelled at her, but standing here in this near empty house I found those words echoing in my mind.

_Destiny._

I would have never thought in a million years that I would be a fairy princess, or that I would be a wife to a Viking vampire, or that my best friends wouldn't be completely human. But here I was on the brink, destiny had brought me here…

Amelia was right it was my choice, and it was my turn to fill in one of the blanks.

I walked out to the front porch were Amelia was sitting on the swing. She smiled when she saw me walk up. "So?" Right to the point, that was Amelia. You couldn't beat around a bush that wasn't there; especially when she rips the bushes up by roots and burns it!

"Your right, I have made my decision, and I am sticking with it. It was just seeing the rooms all empty… well it made my heart hurt a little bit. Closing this chapter in my life, especially so quickly has me reeling a little. You know what I mean?"

"I know what you mean, but you are strong, and you are doing this for you. I didn't mean to be harsh, but the going back and forth only causes trouble. So I'm glad you're sticking with your decision." I sighed and sat on the swing, "Yea, me too."

"Well, now that you got your head worked out, I got things covered here if you have stuff you need to do before your date." Amelia said while winking and elbowing me.

"That sounds great, I really wanted to stop by Tara's and see if she has any nice tops in. Eric said we are going to be outside, so I want to be comfy, but kinda sexy too." We both giggled.

"I don't think your Viking will care what you wear. You better get outa here before the afternoon completely passes you by."

"Yea, yea, yea. I'm going, I'm going. I'm just going to go in and get my bag and then I'll be gone." I made quick work of grabbing my bag, phone and keys before I went out front to let Amelia know I was leaving.

"I'm heading out; I'll be back in a little bit." Amelia smiled, "Oh before you go I think I may have thought of a name. 'Delphian Consultants'." She looked at me doubtfully, before continuing. "Delphian relates to being obscure or secret which will be our bread and butter, because we will deal in all things 'other' and we have to keep those secrets…. Does that make sense? Or do you even like it?"

I thought it over, it was better than anything I could come up with, which so far was 'helpers'. Yea I know that it's lame. I really liked that it related to what we would be doing, which was helping people in unusual ways that usually had to be kept secret. "I really like it Amelia, I think it captures what we will be doing, and it's kinda girly!" We both laughed.

"Great, I was racking my brain trying to come up with something, then I don't know it just came to me." she said thoughtfully. "Well however you got it I'm glad, because I had nothing. I will call Mr. C today and let him know that you're in and that we came up with a name." We both got excited after that. I gave her a hug and waved as I walked to my car. "See you soon."

As I got to my car I was filled once again with the excitement of what the future would bring, even though I had some brief doubts this morning. I drove down my driveway and headed down to Tara's. On my way to Tara's shop I was able to call Mr. C and fill him on in everything. He was happy to hear, he also was impressed with the additions that we wanted to add to the contracts and what not.

Mr. C approved of Amelia's acceptance to go into business and the decision on the name. He was also glad to see that we were taking things seriously when I gave him the additions to the contracts that we had come up with. Mr. C said that he would have all of the paperwork done before I got back, and assured me that he would keep an eye out for a secretary or office manager and reliable and trusted security personnel. He really believed that Amelia and I would be busy and would need the extra help and security, plus he has the connections to find the right people.

By the time I arrived at Tara's she had already left for the day. That was kinda a bummer; I was hoping to see her before Sunday. Tara and I had been friends since we were young, she was one of the only friends I had for a long time, well at least until the supernatural's entered my life.

Awhile back Tara and one of our childhood friends, JB De Rone, had shocked us all by eloping. I was more than happy for her, they seemed to fit. Now her and JB were expecting twins any day now. Tara knew about the supernatural world, even if she tried to deny it, which is why she was coming over, and leaving JB at home; she just couldn't find a way for him to know and didn't want him glamoured.

While at Tara's I was able to find a great sundress that was made of soft cotton. It would be perfect for my date. It was casual, comfortable, and looked appealing if I do say so myself. I found some new under things to wear too. They were a beautiful blue color that would match the tones in my dress. I grabbed my bag full of goodies and headed back to my car.

As I was heading back to the house, my tummy started to grumble. I guess that it was time to get something to eat. As it happened I was getting ready to pass Merlotte's, so I decided to stop in. I guess I needed to talk to Sam about my job anyway. So I pulled in to park, worked up the nerve and walked in.

It was the first time since the war that I had been out in a crowded area; even Tara's shop only had one person in it. It was loud, not in the restaurant, but in my head. It was like the minute I walked in everyone decided to start shouting inside their minds. I was sure if it was because my shields were weak, that or somehow my telepathy had a boost in clarity.

I thought it was strange, but I stilled tried to get my shields up. It was hard work to get them up and once they were up it was hard to keep them up. Even Sam was loud, I could hear his thoughts clearer than I had ever before. Usually I just got feelings, and his thoughts were saying that he was happy to see me up and around.

He grabbed me in a bear hug, "It's so good to see you up and moving around cher. We've missed you around here, it hasn't been the same." He let me go and took a good look at me, "Thanks Sam, I've missed you guys too." He smiled brightly, "So what brings you in." Right then my tummy grumbled again, "Ah I see, you want a burger Lafayette?"

"You know that I do! Besides I was hoping to talk to you too, I have some thing's to go over with you." I smiled; Sam looked at me kinda weird and hollered in the order while we walked back to his office.

"So what's going on, you okay, or did you get pulled into some more shit?" Yep, that was Sam. He was a pure Shifter, and could shift into any animal that he had seen. He also hated any type of supe politics which is why he was all the way out here in Bon Temps, and he wasn't shy voicing his dislikes about the vampires to me.

"I haven't been pulled into anything, but I am going to be changing something's in my life." I looked at him with a smile; he gave me a knowing look. "So does this having anything to do with the BBQ on Sunday?"

"Well, yes, but I will go into more detail on Sunday. But for today, I wanted to let you know that I won't be able to come back to work. I really appreciate everything you have done for me here, but I have to move on."

I waited to see how he was going to take the information. "I knew you wouldn't be able to stay here forever, even though part of me always wanted you too. So what are you going to be doing?"

I was so glad that he wasn't upset, and that he was okay with me not coming back. I knew that when he found about all the other details on Sunday that he may not be as encouraging. "I'll still be around, but I just won't be working here. It's not like I'm moving across the country or anything like that. But Amelia and I have decided to start a business, doing consulting of sorts. So we will defiantly be around, even if we travel a bit for our work."

Sam smiled, "Good for you cher, I knew that you would do something with your life. I hope that it works out for you. If you to need any help just let me know." I smiled and gave him a hug, "Thank you Sam, I really appreciate all your support." We walked back out and just as my food was coming up. So I sat at the bar as Sam caught me up on all the town gossip.

Before I knew it I had finished my lunch. It was good to catch up with Sam, and talk about things that weren't all supe related. He did have a chance to let me know what was going on with his family, after the Were revelation there had been many people who approved, who disapproved, and some who didn't care.

Apparently many of the Were's suspected that they were being watched by the government. I knew too well being under the eye of the government. It was hell. I would have to see if Niall could do anything to get the FBI to leave me alone and make sure I was well off their radar.

He went on to tell me that his mom had been having troubles since the revelation; her husband was having a hard time adjusting. Unfortunately, things had been a little violent and his step dad had actually shot his mom. He had to go back out to Texas for a little while, but things smoothed over and he had come back. His step father ended up in jail, and Sam said he would be there for a while.

I had been a little upset that he hadn't let me know until now, but he had told me I had my own troubles to deal with. I felt like a terrible friend, but I knew that he was right. I wouldn't have been able to help him, or even be there for him with the trauma I was going through. After getting all caught up we said our goodbyes, and he promised that he would see me on Sunday.

By the time I pulled into the driveway it was the late afternoon. I didn't see Amelia's car around so I went inside to see if she left a note. On the fridge was a note saying that since there was nothing left to really do at the house she headed to spend some time with Tray, and for me to call her if I needed anything. The note also said that I had a FedEx package; hmmm I would have to look at that tomorrow.

I smiled; I was surrounded by really great friends, I really was one of the luckiest girls alive. I was glad she was going to be a Tray's, I love her to death but after being at Merlotte's my head needed a rest, and she was a really loud broadcaster.

So I went into my room and hung up my dress. I was so excited to be going out with Eric tonight. I really hoped that he understood why I was doing what I was doing… and he was going to tell me where he had been and why he didn't save me from the twins.

I knew I needed to know, but a part of me really didn't, but I was going to face these fears because I knew that I wasn't alone. I knew that Eric would be with me every step. After all that we had gone through I believed with my whole heart that we would always be there for each other, as friends and as lovers.

I blushed and pulled myself from my musing about the 'what ifs' and disrobed for a nice hot bubble bath. I wanted to be fully relaxed for tonight, because I knew that our discussion would bring enough stress. As I climbed into the bath my body relaxed, and so did my mind.

A short time later I woke myself up from the bath because it had run cold. I couldn't believe I fell asleep! I was going to really have to kick my butt into gear to be ready on time. So drained the tub and started the shower. I shaved and washed my hair. I let my hair air dry a little bit while it painted my toes a beautiful silver color to match my blue sundress.

I fished drying my hair with the blow dryer so that it would have some nice bounce and be a little curled at the bottom. After I finished my hair I quickly painted my finger nails in the same silver. I smiled as I slipped on the matching bra and panties, knowing that my Viking would like what he saw.

Shortly before dusk I slipped on my dress, grabbed my shawl and matching hand bag. I made sure to lock up the house nice a tight, a habit I had picked up over the last year, and went to wait on the porch swing. I wanted to wait outside so that Eric wouldn't see that everything in the house was basically gone.

Although with all the smells running around, I'm sure that he would know something was going on, I couldn't hid that but I wanted to tell him before he saw everything gone. So I sat and waited as the sun slowly set. Waiting for the sun to dip below the horizon did nothing but build the anxiety and anticipation for when I would see that red corvette drive down the driveway, carrying the man that held my heart.

**A/N: I hope that you enjoyed this chapter! I am slowly finding a rhythm that allows me to make the chapters a little bit longer than my first chapter or two. But if they start to get to long or drawn out, let me know! I tend to ramble :/ Next chapter Eric and Sookie will have their talk, FINALLY! Woop! I have a feeling it will be a monster chapter :)**

**Also, I don't mind putting it out there again…. This is my first time writing fiction, ever. Besides papers for school or work I have never used writing as a creative outlet. With that said, I am hoping to write a lemon next chapter or so, but have never written one…. So it may or may not happen, depending on how it comes out when I write it! **


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